As medical device technologies continue to evolve, active implanted medical devices have gained increasing popularity in the medical field. For example, one type of implanted medical device includes neurostimulator devices, which are battery-powered or battery-less devices that are designed to deliver electrical stimulation to a patient. Through proper electrical stimulation, the neurostimulator devices can provide pain relief for patients.
An implanted medical device (for example a neurostimulator) can be controlled using an electronic programming device such as a clinician programmer or a patient programmer. These programmers can be used by medical personnel or the patient to define the particular electrical stimulation therapy to be delivered to a target area of the patient's body or alter one or more parameters of the electrical stimulation therapy. Advances in the medical device field have improved the electronic programmers. However, existing electronic programmers may still have shortcomings such as unreliable communication with the implanted medical devices. The communication difficulties may be exacerbated as the required communication distance becomes greater, or when the programmer has to operate in an electronically noisy environment. Unreliable communication problems may interfere with the intended operation of the implanted medical device and may hurt the clinician's or the patient's perception of the programmer, thereby limiting its adoption and use.
Therefore, although electronic programming devices for controlling implanted medical devices have been generally adequate for their intended purposes, they have not been entirely satisfactory in every aspect.